1. The Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to ventilated toilets of the type adapted to remove odorous air from the toilet bowl and discharge said air at a remote location. The invention is further concerned with improved apparatus for automatically exhausting odorous gases from the interior of a toilet bowl which includes a pneumatically operated switch for activating an exhaust fan, wherein the switch is activated when pressure is applied to collapsible bulbs located on the bottom surface of the toilet seat.
2. The Prior Art
It is desirable from an aesthetic standpoint to remove, eliminate or neutralize odors produced when a toilet is in use, and heretofore a number of attempts have been made to provide a satisfactory ventilated toilet. It is well known in the prior art to provide a fan assembly that produces a suction to draw away odorous air from a toilet bowl when the toilet is in use. The odorous air may be passed through a conduit and exhausted from the building, or it may be passed through a filter or purifying assembly and recirculated. It is also known in the prior art to provide a passageway in the toilet seat which is in communication with the toilet bowl to draw away air therefrom, as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,970.
It is also known to provide a switch for an electrically powered fan assembly so that the fan will operate when needed, and a number of electrical switches have been proposed for this purpose. Early examples include wall mounted switches, which have the disadvantage of requiring manual activation by the user of the toilet. The user often neglects to activate the switch, and in such event, the bathroom remains unventilated It is preferable to provide a switch assembly that will always automatically activate the fan motor each time that the toilet is in use. Automatic switches are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,172,506 and 1,911,032.
The aforementioned prior art automatic switches are not entirely satisfactory. One problem is that the switches are in close proximity with the toilet bowl, and thus often get wet. Wet switches create an electrical hazard to the user of the toilet, and also tend to short out and render the ventilating system useless. It is therefore desirable to provide an entirely satisfactory automatic switch and exhaust fan assembly that are positioned in a remote location which is sufficiently far away from the toilet area so that all possibility of an electrical hazard is eliminated, and yet may be automatically activated each time that the toilet is in use.